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Earlier this month I got to attend the iBlog 6, a yearly convention/summit centered on blogging and online marketing. I had initially wanted to attend both days but due to deadlines and other circumstances, I missed the first day, which was said to be quite interesting, particularly for monetizing and maximizing the earning potential of your blog. Nonetheless, while the line up for the second day seemed more basic, I still decided to go.

I am really glad I did because I learned more about blogging and how I really want to do this even more. Blogging for me started only as an online journal for me to release my emotions and to rant about things. Now it has evolved a lot. I will admit that some of my sites have lost a bit of personality because I am exploring monetizing potentials, but I still feel this does not make me less of a blogger. Whether it is writing a personal post or a sponsored one, I still try my best to be true to who I am, and that’s something I took with me from the iBlog 6.

Other insights, opinions and realizations from the summit are as follows:

Hannah, known as Flair Candy, showed me the limitless potential of blogging, whether it be for professional growth or on a more personal level.

I enjoyed very much Vince Golangco’s talk about video blogging, and even though he has tried to tickle the audience’s fancy about doing it, my answer for now is no, I am not sexy enough for video blogging – yet! Although my blog, www.fatgirlnomore.com can be evolved into a video site, wouldn’t you think? Kinda like a Biggest Loser video journal…hmmm….

Juned Sonido’s talk on photo blogging made me drool because of his great camera collection but I realized that I don’t have the patience and drive to be a photo blogger…especially a food photo blogger! I still like taking photos though and I will not let my realization from stopping me from exploring photography.

The rules and policies of blogging talk by Emerson Banez made me more aware of copyright rules and intellectual property rights in the World Wide Web. I wish though (unless I missed it from the day before) things like ethics, etiquette and appropriate online social behavior can be talked about more. Also, how to protect my intellectual property rights and how I can monitor this online.

Blogging for Mobile was discussed by sponsor 88DB.com. This is an interesting concept, and I did submit my site for evaluation, but I am not sure I am completely sold on it yet, but mainly because I have yet to really experience it. I’m not so good in imagining things or learning things vicariously, so though Raquel Cagurangan talked about it and gave examples, I want to experience it personally first before making my judgments. (BTW: Thanks to 88DB.com for the USB drive I won in their text contest!!!)

The afternoon sessions about blogging as commentary and how it can impact society drove home one point to me: I don’t read others opinions and discuss my ideas too much or quite effectively. I tend to either take the backseat or be passive in my involvement. Now I try to be a more proactive blogger. I have been given such a great platform: I want to use it more effectively.

As I said in that last point: I want to be a more effective blogger. But I guess before I can really be an effective blogger I have to have something to say to be able to build up a readership and have people want to come visit my blog regularly, right? So, besides exploring SEO-ing (which I swear is still a big blur to me!), I am making the most of my blog space. Given that these realizations are coming right before my blogs 1st birthday, I decided to use my space by hosting a contest with a theme that promotes an important personal advocacy to me: reminding people to be grateful. There are so many worthwhile advocacies I also want to support, but for now, I will focus on this. Why this you may ask. For me, I think being grateful about something makes you see the bigger picture of things and how you impact the world. By being grateful, you honor the people, the world and yourself well.

I will not be able to spread this advocacy without the support of my very generous blogger friends who have already pledged support for the upcoming contest, which will be launched on Sunday, May 2, 2010. Thank you so much to the following for the various pledges including $30.00 cash via Pay Pal, EC Credits, Ad Spaces, GC’s, Yummy books, Starbucks merchandise, web hosting and domain registration, among others!

If you’re also interested in sponsoring my contest, please check out my call for sponsors post 🙂 I hope you will find it worth your while helping me promote the virtue of gratitude. Come back on May 2 for the official launch of the contest!!!